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Up Close And Very Personal
Arcee darts ahead to gracefully transform into her pink Cybertronian Tech Car, enging purring, ready to go! You move west to Uptown San Francisco. Uptown San Francisco - North America This part of San Francisco is one of the few areas left mostly untouched by the weather of the last decade. The steep, curving roads are still lined with beautiful old houses, some of them almost a century old. Flower pots grace the roadsides and are cultivated meticulously. Some of the streets even show the old brick roads underneath. Occasionally, you see one of the famous cable cars pass you down the streets, and people hop on and off of them at random. Fisherman's Wharf is visible in the distance, and people will give you directions to Lombard Street if you ask. The scent of the flowers mingles with the smell of fresh-baked sourdough and the slight fish scent from the Wharf. A weathered old man passes you with a fruit cart. It's covered with fresh strawberries, oranges, bananas, and other tasty items. Contents: Reidan Wesley Pink Saturn Sky pulls up to Reidan's residence, and the horn beeps. This is not a surprise visit; Arcee had called ahead of time to take her friend Reidan to the beach. She doesn't much like the beach because the sea salt and sand are corrosive to her finish, but one afternoon isn't going to make much difference. A small suitcase was already sitting on the curb, and as the horn honked, Reidan comes flying out. He was dressed in the clothes he first made his appearance on-mush in. A ragtag old coat, a battered hat, long scarf and dusty clothes (Well, they WOULD be dusty if they were not clean). "I'm here, I'm here, sorry. I had to make sure the house sitter knew all the rules." "<< Oh, it's alright! How are you doing, you look great! Hop in, >>" Arcee's voice says from the radio speakers. The trunk opens for Reidan's suitcase, and the passenger door opens so Reidan can get in. "I'm feeling better. A bit of a spring cold." he remarks "I had to make sure that Khan is well taken care of and my candle is lit. How is the boyfriend? " he asks, climbing in with the suitcase. He puts it carefully on the back seat. "<< He's okay, but things are really complicated right now, >> Arcee admits, heading down the highway toward the northern beaches. "<< His rival...I mean, his #1 enemy on the Decepticon side kind of...figured out we were seeing each other, and so now he's trying to kill *me* to get back at Blurr. Because of this, I haven't really had much time to spend with him. These things get incredibly complicated in wartime. >>" Reidan Wesley ahhs at that quietly "Sorry to hear that. I suppose that's one of the risks. I know, I've been there." he frowned a little bit and rummages for the seatbelts "Thank you very much for the ride by the way. I do appreciate it. So who's the enemy, if I may hear?" "<< His name's Blast Off, he transforms into a shuttle. I think we had a run-in with him in the desert, when I first met you, >>" Arcee admits. "<< He can be really aggressive. Doesn't help that he has an ego the size of space itself, either! So how are you liking your new house? >>" Blast Off has arrived. Reidan Wesley frowns and shivers "Ugh. Flyers. " he grimaces "Ah yes. I remember him now. I admit I dont always get a good look at them when I am cowering in fear. And I love it! Its a bit odd though, heh. I feel at times like a king, or Lucy from Hamstertracker." he grins a bit cheekily. Pink Saturn Sky is driving along a city street, with Reidan as a passenger. "<< --I'm sorry, Lucy from who?? >>" Arcee's voice comes over her radio speaker. Reidan Wesley pauses "Oh. Sorry. Lucy is a somewhat famous internet hamster. Her owner lives in Scandinavia." he ruffles in a pocket and pulls out a worn printout of a rather cute Hamster "He built a device to track how far Lucy runs on her wheel every night. And he has twenty four hour video surveillance of her activities, water intake and weight for people to watch around the clock." Blast Off is actually here as well. Why? His last time in San Francisco did not go so well (thanks to Wraith and a massive sneak attack to ensure humans remained safe). It's not that he really wants to be here, either. The Combaticon has had a really bad few days, culminating in a VERY rare, *willing* fist fight with Dogfight the night before.... which did not end well. Dogfight tore off one of Blast Off's wings and absconded with it, leaving the shuttle crippled in alt mode. He MUST get a replacement. That is what brings him here. It so happens that Silicon Valley, the home of cutting edge technology, is nearby, and there are rumors a company here is working with a private space flight company to develop a super-strong, super advanced shuttle system- including wing components. Blast Off NEEDS a replacement wing, and is hoping to find it here. At the moment, he stands in a park, trying not to be TOO conspicuous, and scans for the building. It's somewhere nearby. "<< A famous...hamster, you say, >>" Arcee sometimes has a difficult time comprehending just what it is that humans do for fun. As she turns onto the highway and ascends a ramp, a light begins blinking on her console. "<< Well, how about that. Hm. >>" "Indeed. But from your tones I do not think my hinting is getting through." admits the human. He looks at the console and blinks back at the light "What does THAT mean? Do I need to check your oil or something? " desite all his years of working with the EDC and transformers, he seemed rather ignorant of a lot of how they worked. Blast Off proceeds to walk out of the park. Only a few people, mostly of the city's resident Homeless population, seem to be around at the moment, and the Combaticon ignores them. They stare, of course, and one guy runs up and asks the Combaticon if he has some spare change. Blast Off just looks down in disgust. "No, I do not, but I have a facefull of ionic firepower I could give you, if you do not leave me alone." The man stares up in confusion at what that is, and if it could be useful, until Blast Off shakes his head and moves away. Digusting organics.... he hates that he is sometimes required to use their technology to upkeep his Earth-based shuttle mode. "<< Heheh...no, it's probably nothing, >>" Arcee says, sounding...well, her tone has nervous undercurrents. As she loops around, following the highway's on-ramp, the light goes back out. "<< Actually, we don't require oil changes like your vehicles do. I don't think it would do much good, we function much differently. We -- >>" The light goes back on, light on her dash panel flashing insisitantly and bright. "<< Ah, sh!t... >>" Reidan Wesley looks skeptical at first, but listens... or at least, tries to appear like he's listening. He then blinks at the last comment and looks up again "I dont think that really goes with what you said earlier about it being 'nothing." he remarks at that and adjusts his hat. Blast Off is almost out of the park, when the Homeless Man catches up with him. "What's this IONIC stuff? is it edible? C'mon, man, you're one of them fancy robots, aren't ya? The Autobots, right? They HELP people, man!" Blast Off stops in his tracks with a huff, turning to face the human. He points to the Decepticon badge on his purple chest. "Does this look like an Autobot badge to YOU? Insult me once more, fleshling, and you will find exactly WHAT "ionic" means." Blast Off pulls out his ionic blaster and points it straight at the man's face. Who then raises his hands and starts backing away. "I...I didn't mean nothin', man. So you're, like.... one o' them Junkions or somethin'?" He asks, looking at Blast Off's rather tattered-looking leg, sans wing. That makes the COmbaticon huff again. Pink Saturn Sky makes a very hasty and illegal u-turn across the highway median, then speeds up considerably, making a beeline back into town. "<< I hate to be the bearer of bad news, because we rarely get a chance to hang out, >>" Arcee says with annoyance, "<< But my scanners indicate that Blast Off is in town, back near the park area. Don't you worry, though. I just have to go make sure he isn't causing any problems. >>" Reidan Wesley holds on more tightly as Arcee swings about, his eyes widening. HE sinks down into the seat and sighs "Sounds good to me. Shall I notify police now preemptively? " he asks, sounding rather calm despite being now taken INTO a potential battlezone. Blast Off is about ready to shoot this human pest... when his own scanners pick up something. Slag. Autobot. ...Slag- THAT Autobot. He huffs down at the man. "Count your lucky stars, fleshling... I have better things to deal with today than you." He turns sharply away, then looks back to add, "And I am a Combaticon. NOT Junkion, NOT Autobot. ....Fool." He proceeds out of the park, hopping into a backalley as he makes his way to the technology business he was looking for. His blaster in kept in hand. He's not looking for a fight, not while he's crippled in shuttle mode... but he'll give a fight if one comes looking for him. Especially Arcee. "<< I don't want you to worry -- and no, don't call the police yet, this isn't an emergency situation yet, >>" Arcee informs Reidan. "<< My scanners could be wrong. But they usually aren't. Could you do me a huge favor? Go ahead and open the glove compartment...you should find something that kind of looks like a large plate with a hole in the center. Kind of like a frisbee with a hole. Do you see something like that in there? >>" She continues proceeding with all due haste back into town, making a beeline for the quickest route back toward the park. She even hops in the carpool lane to get around traffic, something Autobots are allowed to do when needing to get somewhere in a hurry. Reidan Wesley obliges, reaching forwards to fumble with the glove compartment. Soon the ring was brought out, large enough easily for his head and more. He stares at it, then puts it around his neck experimentally, and carefully "Interesting design!" Blast Off is aware of Arcee's presence, so he moves with haste now. He wants to get in, grab this wing he's looking for, and get out of town. Being crippled in his shuttle mode has him on the wary side. He finds the building and proceeds to look for a way in. There's a cargo unloading area with big unloading bay doors, and that's where he heads. Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Guarded. "<< Fantastic. Just...please hang onto that, because it's actually another type of scanner, >>" Arcee explains as she barrels through the 'Autobot' lane of a large tollbooth without even slowing down. On a GPS-type grid monitor below the blinking light on her dashboard, there's a very detailed map of the surrounding area, with mind-boggling amounts of information racing across the screen in Cybertronian script. "<< I don't know why this guy is here, he's typically a loner, >>" she tells Reidan. "<< He's probably after something in particular. But lucky for him -- so am I. That device in your possession, Reidan, will help extract some important data from this Combaticon's processor and assist us in retaking a key city on Cybertron. So it's very important that we at least *attempt* to get this done while he's here. >>" Now, she's slowed down a bit as she exits the highway and goes onto a local road toward the park. "<< Very close now. Really, almost right on top of him, >>" Arcee murmurs as she slows down to below the speed limit. The scanner's going wild now. Reidan Wesley pulls it off his head quickly at that and nods, as he peers at it thoughtfully, then frowns "So you have to Bag and Tag a giant Decepticon." he says to her, and nods "How pleasant. Well, let me know how else IO can help without having to stare down any more laser barrels." he shivers. Reidan Wesley says, "Do we have time for me to change into my brown pants?" Blast Off is just about to slip inside the unloading bay when his scans inform him Arcee is approaching. Slag, again. He mutters something under his "breath", then decides he'd better get ready for her entrance. What's the way a sniper greets his foe? High above sneak attack, of course. He uses his antigravs to launch himself up on top of the building, then crouches down, blaster aimed and ready to shoot once she's in his sights. "<< I am NOT going to let you get hurt, >> Arcee tells Reidan. "<< Matter of fact... >>" She pulls up to a sheltered bus stop, and opens the passenger-side door. "<< Stay right here like you're waiting for the bus. And keep the scanning device handy; I may need that if he doesn't decide to cut and run. Okay?? >>" Pink Saturn Sky adds, "<< He's not after that device, so you should be OK. >>" Reidan Wesley frowns a little bit, but nods. He climbs out and states "Thank you for the reassurance, even if it can never truly be guaranteed." he smiles a little "Good luck then. I'll have it ready the moment it looks like he's down." he promises, and offers a rather crisp salute. Blast Off continues to wait for a shot. She's close- in fact, he spots a flash of pink, but then it's gone behind a building again... but only *just* out of sight. He settles in, taking the safety off, and waits like a good sniper. The pink Cybertronian tech car splits apart to reveal Autobot Warrior Arcee! She's ready to kick aft! Combat: Arcee sets her defense level to Guarded. Once Reidan is safe at the bus stop, Arcee drives into the complex driveway where the aerospace parts firm is headquartered, and she is greeted by a guard. She then transforms. "Sorry, sir, but I'm on official business. You have a Decepticon on the premises." Arcee seems to be in a considerable haste to...keep moving. She doesn't want to be stopped in one place for any length of time. Before the guard can call his supervisor, Arcee's already following her scanner's data, moving toward the building where Blast Off has taken refuge. She's walking along the sides of the compound's buildings as close as possible. It doesn't make her 'impossible' to hit, but it adds to the difficulty. Reidan Wesley watches Arcee drive out of sight almost and fidgets in his pocket, pulling out his pipe nervously. He didnt usaull smoke, but damnit, you only live infinite amount of times when you're a Buddhist. He lights up and puffs quietly as he waited, the ring looped around his other arm like an odd frisbee indeed. He holds it up and then balances it ponderously, as though calculating its' aerodynamic capabilities. Blast Off continues to wait for Arcee to make herself a target... but she knows he's here, and she seems to be taking his professional occupation into account and keeps to cover. Sneaking around, eh? The Combaticon moves along the rooftop, keeping as low as he can. But perhaps he can make her reveal herself... < know you're there, Arcee. Stop playing hide and seek with me, or I'll simply refocus my targets to something more... squishy.>> And indeed, there are some humans visable, out and about and unaware of the danger. Right now, Arcee believes she's located the building where Blast Off is perched, but since she can't spot him overhead, she has to rely solely on her scanner data. "<< You're not typically this desperate and sad, Blast Off, >>" Arcee answers her radio coolly, as she begins carefully climbing up one side of the building to get to the roof. It's sort of like scaling a rock wall. "<< What's happened? Anything you want to tell me? >>" The Human meanwhile checks his watch, then blinks "... maybe I should have asked for some sort of 'signal' to be ready." he notes. And then a bus pulls up "Hey buddy, are you getting in? This is the last bus of the day!" Reidan pauses and looks up "oh. Uh, sorry. Waiting for a friend." he waves the bus on. Bus Driver thinks, (I don't get paid enough for this gig...) Blast Off huffs at that. <> That last part is essentially sneered. <> Meanwhile, he is also aware the femme is getting closer, and sets up to shoot as soon as she appears. He's back to keeping his distance, though, and doesn't approach the area she's coming in at. "<< Blast Off, it wasn't like that! Frankly, you're making this waaaay more awkward than it has to be, >>" Arcee says, stopping her climb before roof level because she KNOWS he'll be gunning for her. "<< And you know what? When you talk like that, you almost sound...kind of jealous. I'm not kidding, listen to yourself. You sound jealous! Did Blurr and I have a 'merry time'? Maybe we did. But what sort of question is that? >>" She's sort of hoping that Blast Off will eventually cross the roof and come to try and knock her off the edge, because then she has a plan to deal with him. But she can't anticipate how he's going to react, so she tries not to get her hopes up. Reidan finishes his pipe, taps it out on the side of his shoe and pockets it once more, peering in the direction Arcee was going. "Excuse me sir." It was the homeless man who had bothered Blast Off "Spare some change? " A blink, and then Reidan asks "CHange what? " "What? " " "I asked, Change what? You asked if I could spare some change, but change what? " The man just stared at him as though his brain had broken. Blast Off scoffs. <> He stops and has to collect himself again for a moment, his feelings wanting to bubble up to the surface again. He doesn't know why... mainly because he doesn't want to examine them and see that he is, actually, quite lonely. But it's not that, no, of course not. <> Arcee still hasn't shown up, so the Combaticon moves to a different spot. Not quite looking over the edge yet, but starting to wonder where the femme is. Arcee is beginning to understand Blast Off a lot better than when she returned to Earth some cycles ago. Back then, she was armed with her weapons, and not much else. Blast Off is a fairly complicated foe, however, and she's managed to learn a lot from him by studying his behavior. In the meantime, she waits silently, clinging to the side of the building and waiting motionlessly as she stares at the roof ledge above. "<< I know, he crosses lines, he pushes boundaries, he pisses people off. It's who he is. I'm not going to apologize for *him*. We're two different mechs, >>" she replies. "<< So it makes no difference to you if I attempt to deal with you civilly or not, do I understand that correctly? >>" Reidan Wesley stares back, not moving, not speaking. Not even BLINKING. Eventually, the homeless man shuffles and turns to wander away in confusion. "Change what? What kind of change did I want?" Blast Off is in a bitter mood, and it brings out the cold side of his personality. The usually moderately civil Combaticon is beginning to wonder if there's even a point to trying to remain civilized when surrounded by such unruly hooligans. He's been wavering back and forth lately. Of course, giving in the to the urge to just try smashing Dogfight's face in didn't work so well, so he's at least back to keeping his distance and shooting things again. <> He mutters sourly into his radio. <> With that, he moves over to the edge, blaster ready. The instant he spots Arcee, he fires. Combat: Blast Off misses Arcee with his Tag you're IT! (Laser) attack! -2 Combat: Arcee sets her defense level to Fearless. Instinctively, Arcee wants to duck and cover, but she's a completely open target for the Combaticon sniper and there's nowhere for her to go but *down*. If she *is* headed down, however, she wants to try and take this miserable mech with her. The height isn't a lethal height, but if fortune favors her, perhaps she could knock him senseless for a short time. Resisting all urges to take cover, she pushes upward as if preparing to get on the roof -- then quickly tries to grab onto Blast Off, to take him down with her. Combat: Arcee strikes Blast Off with her Grab attack! A blasting sound, and the recogniseable sound of metal smashing into metal. Reidan looks up and blinks "... I think that's my que to see if I still have Ultimate Frisbee Championship in me." He notes and steps out of the bus shelter, looking nervously in the direction of the sounds. Blast Off ...misses? All this *emotional* talk must really have him off his game. But that's not the worst of it. The slightly larger Autobot suddenly reaches up and gets him in a headlock, pulling back and sending the flailing Combaticon down with her. He lands first, stunning him slightly. "Get...OFF!" He kicks at her desperately. She may now notice he doesn't look all that great to begin with- in fact, he's missing one of his wings- the wing normally folded on his right leg has been completely torn off. Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his I'm grounded in more ways than one.... (Kick) attack! -2 "<< Reidan?? Reidan, it's Arcee, >>" Arcee transmits to her friend's phone/radio unit. He may note that she sounds very stressed. And yes, this follows the metallic clang. "<< Quick, We're behind Building B, just follow the noise. If you have your skateboard -- now would be a great time to use it! >>" Arcee's not very strong, but she's trying to keep Blast Off from transforming. "Quit struggling, you lugnut!" she exclaims, trying to pin his arms to the ground to humiliate him and buy some time. Combat: Arcee strikes Blast Off with her Grab attack! Reidan Wesley yelps as his pocket talks and he stops his walk to answer the phone "... Its in your trunk I'm afraid. I will expedite there quickly though!" he promises and turns to merely PELT down the sidewalk in her direction, the device gripped in one hand as he did so, Xena style "Why do I keep hanging out with giant robots? It NEVER turns out good for my heart" he muttered. Blast Off , unfortunately for him, is much weaker than Arcee. In fact, most mechs are stronger than he is, which is one reason he always strives to keep his distance. He keeps struggling, but he can't quite break away. His optics pale and widen in alarm, and anger, as Arcee remains WAY too up close and personal. "Unhand me!!" He yelps in outrage, kicking at her some more as he lies there on his back. "Filthy Autobot scum, LET. ME. GO!" There's another kick as he tries shoving her away. Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his Way-way-WAY too up close and personal (Kick) attack! -2 "Will you calm the heck down already? You're crying like a little lost petrorabbit!" Arcee exclaims. Now, she can see why BO is not at his best; he's all beaten up and he seems to be...missing a few parts, which probably explains why he's here. As he manages to kick her out of the pin, she pulls her gun and levels it at him. "Don't move or I'll shoot," she says threateningly. "And you're in no shape for more punishment. Believe me, it isn't hard to tell. Just stay right in that spot, do NOT move." The Global Pose Tracker marks that Arcee has 'skipped' her action for this round. Reidan Wesley comes around the corner, panting a little bit "How did you do that? " he asked simply as he fans himself with his hat now. He stares at Blast Off, and goes abruptly very, very pale as he holds the ring, and then lifts it up victoriously. "... Shall I put a ring on it? I dont LIKE it, mind..." Blast Off really, really, really does not like anyone getting into his personal space. He never has, and the feeling of being trapped makes him even more unsettled. He's been trapped, taken prisoner, even had his mind yanked out and stored in a filing cabinet for several million years.... so it may be understandable that anything that reminds him of such things makes him at least a bit nervous. He kicks her away and pushes himself up to get back on his feet- when there's suddenly a gun in his face. He isn't quite on his feet yet, having just pushed up halfway... and he is injured. So he freezes. The Combaticon stares up at Arcee and his optics narrow. Finally, he asks, "...Why? Is Blurr planning on dropping something ON me, since dropping ME in something didn't work?" He glances up to the roof- but no, no Blurr. There IS, however, a human who approaches. Blast Off blinks and glares at him. "....What is... that?" He's still debating leaping away and risking being shot, but he is nimble enough-and egotistical enough- to believe he'll probably succeed. But.... he's not entirely foolish, either. "No, Blurr's got nothing to do with this. And haven't you seen one of these before? It's just a stasis repair ring," Arcee says with a smile, still levelling her gun and full attention at Blast Off as she takes the ring from Reidan. "Thank you so much," she tells her human friend quietly. "Speaking of repairs, you look like you really need them," she tells Blast Off. Now, she's trying to figure how to get the ring on his head to do the scan. She can't just put it there -- he'll take that opportunity to throw her off balance and run. The only GOOD thing in this is that he seems to be constrained to root mode, for now. But he could still flee on foot or just fly off in root mode. "Now, you're sounding paranoid, I mean, seriously. Do you see Blurr? I don't see him." "No problemo." he looks at the Decepticon, then blinks "... Glad to have been randomly selected and impressed into service via legalities which I do not understand when requiring a civillian to assist against his will." Re: He was drafted at the last minute. In case Blast Off told anyone he was working with the bots again. He walks up nervously, still eyeing the giant transformer as he handed over the ring. Blast Off continues watching Arcee warily, optics trained on that gun pointed right in his face. He's still judging whther to leap aside or not. He's just fast enough to be able to do so.... but the injuries don't help. And Arcee IS actually not a bad shot. "Paranoid? Of course not. Just... cautious. If Blurr is involved at all, he's probably fighting...dirty." His demeanor has returned to its more normal, calmer state... but it's a tense calm, ready for action. There's the briefest glance at the human, but humans are inferior and basically beneath Blast Off's general notice. That ring, however, is not. "I don't believe you. What is that ring,...*really*?" Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Guarded. "I told you, it's a stasis repair ring!" A modified one that will scan Blast Off's processor frequencies, but the surprised shuttleformer doesn't need to know THAT particular detail. "What do you think it is, a hat??" Arcee asks. "Hmm...actually..." After a moment's thought, she lunges suddenly, trying to put the ringlike device atop Blast Off's head. As she nears his processor, the stasis repair ring glows a bit brighter, as if signalling some sort of activation or perhaps a frequency detection. Combat: Arcee strikes Blast Off with her Grab attack! Reidan Wesley watches a little bit, and states "It IS a repair ring yes." He was, luckily, a Master Liar, who had maxed out his Charisma easily. He watches, then states "Try to hold it level with his eyes... err, cameras. Things." he advises. He fidgets nervously, and tries to slip up behind Blast Off, where he figures he was relatively safe, and try and level out the ring with his own hands. Combat: Reidan Wesley misses Blast Off with his Let Me Fix Your Fantastic Hat.... (Grab) attack! Blast Off huffs at Arcee again. "I said, do /NOT/ patronize me!" Then Arcee lunges at him, pinning the ring on his head. He flinches, pulling back. "Get that OFF!" The Combaticon doesn't know WHAT that is, but if these two want that on his HEAD, he knows he DOESN'T. He struggles, trying to knock it off. Reidan comes up from behind, but Blast Off is a bit sensitive about icky organics. He turns to face the human, shoving the ring off his head, probably right at Reidan. Moving with that turn, he proceeds to scramble up, onto his feet, where he runs a few feet then completes the arc to face Arcee again- this time holding his own gun at HER. It is immediately fired. Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his I look terrible in hats anyway (Laser) attack! -2 Arcee seems fairly determined, now, for whatever crazy reason, to force Blast Off to wear that ring on his head like a halo or a crown. She's even willing to suffer laser-fire at point blank range, just allowing her armor to take the punishment. Either she's completely lost her mind, or something ELSE is going on here. "You have to do everything the HARD way, don't you!" she exclaims running directly at Blast Off like a defensive lineman making a tackle. "Reidan, be careful!" she calls as she leaps at Blast Off, trying to take him back down on the ground again. She can't have him running around for the ring-on-head thing. Damn gadgets...maybe Intel work is not her thing after all. It's not like she can convince this snooty toot to wear a ring on his head! Combat: Arcee strikes Blast Off with her Grab attack! Reidan Wesley leaps back at the warning, rolling out of the way "All yours darling!" he calls, deciding this was, perhaps, Arcee's expertise more than his now as he shuffles a little nervously. Then he chuckles "Threaten to have me lick him if he DOESNT hold still." he meant it as a JOKE.. Blast Off hits Arcee, then takes a step back to start dodging out of the way. Unfortunately, the damage Dogfight did there comes back to haunt him, and another servo gives way. That leg is really not in good shape. It causes him to stumble as he's backing up- and allows the larger femme to tackle him again. "Gah!!!" He hits the ground with another thud, his armor cracking even more in already stressed seams. And that blasted ring is back on his head! He struggles with her now, punching and pushing and trying to wrest away from her. Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his GETOFFAME (Punch) attack! -1 "I don't think that's going to -- deter him very much -- rrrgggh -- Reidan," Arcee exclaims as Blast Off flails enough to get out of the pin once more. "Blast Off, quit freaking out, I *don't* want to hurt you any more than you already are -- I know that sounds crazy, but this is nothing personal." She begins eyeing Blast Off as if he were a problem she needed to solve. Maybe she could smash his head against the ground! -- Ah, but that might damage his processor. Not a good option. She watches him warily. Blast Off hufffs quite loudly this time, as he manages an escape again. No matter what else is true, he is a dodgy sort, after all. He scrambles backwards, trying to gain distance now. "Oh, right, of course..." He snarks. "Nothing personal. So says Blurr's girlfriend and the person I have already sought to offline more than once. I'm sure we're going to be the /best of friends/ any astrosecond now. I've already had quite enough of dealing with those who work closely with Blurr... and you know what? It tends not to end well for them..." Bitter at that memory, he aims his gun to fire at her again. "And somehow... people flinging themselves at me... tends to come off *as* personal. I guess I'm just odd that way. Perhaps Autofools engage in these "group hugs" as contact sport all the time. I want no part of it." That's when he he realizes the ring is still on his head. Slag it all, what? There is some sort of light, and a strange noise suddenly starts up. The Combaticon moves to knock it away. Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his Maybe Autobots tackle each other as a sign of affection? Who knows maybe- they're crazy anyway as far as I can tell. (Laser) attack! -2 This back-and-forth marathon is beginning to tire out the pink femme. She's not in nearly as dire straits as Blast Off is, but it's still a colossal waste of energon pursuing this crazy task. If it weren't so important, she'd have given up a while ago. But now she's beginning to worry about the safety of onlookers...the integrity of her own armor, which has taken on a bit of damage...how worth it IS it to try and get more of this scan done? Perhaps she's gotten what was needed; perhaps not! It isn't like there's any way to TELL one way or another on the stasis ring itself. As it is, she knows her own limitations. She'd better just take this thing back to base and see if Horsepower is able to glean anything from the contents. "Huh, that was kind of cool, how it lit up when it was on your head...I was just kidding around," she lies. "But I've never seen one do *that* before. Have you??" Might as well leave him with some sense of creeped-out paranoia, it's the close she's going to come to a victory. Combat: Arcee misses Blast Off with her Grab attack! Blast Off is able to knock the device off his head as Arcee backs away. The odds are it hasn't been on his head long enough to scan anything of real worth. Then he just looks at her like she's lost her mind. "Do you *really* think I'm that stupid? Brawl is the team idiot, not me. Next time Blurr wants something done, have him do it HIMSELF. This habit of sending femmes out to do his personal dirty work is getting tiresome." He points his weapon at her again. "Actually, never mind, I'll tell him that myself. When I deliver what remains of you to Ibex." And he fires at her, while leaping up into the air. Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his I still have this little vendetta thing going.... (Laser) attack! -2 "Well you were HERE, it wasn't so much a presumption of idiocy, it was a presumption of proximity," Arcee corrects him, which probably begs the question, WHY WAS SHE TRYING TO GET THAT RING ON HIS HEAD IN THE FIRST PLACE?? But Arcee's about as subtle an operative as Lana-from-Archer is a spy -- which is to say, not at all. "Got that?!! Good!" Arcee dives for cover between two buildings, her foot getting tagged by laser fire in the process. But she just lets Blast Off go. She really isn't interested in keeping him around for some vendetta; she just needs him to get lost so she can count the number of blast holes her armor had to endure in order for her to get a crappy, probably unusable scan. "Bleah." She just sits there in the alley, tired and frowning, waiting to see if Blast Off's going to leave. <'Autobot'> Arcee says, "*sighs* Craaaaaaaaap." <'Autobot'> Jazz says, "What's up Cee?" <'Autobot'> Arcee says, "Oh, I'll...file a report. I'm pretty sure I failed this mission. Can't win them all, I suppose. I just had a chance to get something accomplished, so I took it." Blast Off , now that he has a moment to think, runs a few scans of his own, trying to figure out what that device was. He stores that information, then has to make a choice. Follow the Autobot into the alley, where she may have the advantage while HE is injured and compromised in shuttle mode... or leave while he can. He finds the former tempting, but is wise enough to do the latter. He will destroy her later, then. He's also half tempted to go into the building and attempt to find that wing, but with his cover blown... there's no telling when and if backup may arrive for Arcee. Primus forbid she calls up *Wraith* again or something. So the Combaticon shakes his head, placing a hand there and still wondering what the slag THAT was all about. He's had people mess with his head, he does NOT want that to happen again. Then he proceeds to fly off while he still can. Arcee waits for a good long while in-between the two buildings, just wedged there in a sitting position, staring at the opposite wall wearily. When she's absolutely certain that Blast Off's gone, she makes a final scanner sweep of the area, then begins walking back toward the road. She's NOT in a good mood. <'Autobot'> Jazz says, "Ya got that right Scoop my mech! Remember Arcee, the real victory is achieved by doin' what's right, no matter the cost..succeedin' is just icin' on th cake" <'Autobot'> Scoop | "Unless the cake is a lie." "Shut up, Holepunch." Scoop just sighs at the two Nebulans <'Autobot'> Arcee says, "Thanks. Report coming soon, I promise. THen this will become more clear." Autobot Message: 3/146 Posted Author AAR: San Francisco May 11 2014 Arcee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ << Arcee is pictured beside an industrial-type building, looking very weary, her armor pockmarked with scrapes and holes. >> "I had a run-in with Blast Off today. While I was taking my friend Reidan to the beach, I had to cut our outing short when my scanners picked up Blast Off in an industrial park which contains a factory that manufactures parts for aerospace vehicles. It occurred to me that this might also be a good chance to get the special processor scan required by Horsepower's modified stasis-repair rings (OOC: see 3/144). Since I have one of them in my possession, I thought this might be a good opportunity to try it. If we can glean that information from a Combaticon -- any of them -- then we can discover how they're controlling the drones in Nova Cronum." "Anyhow, Blast Off was in poor shape, and was missing a wing from his shuttle mode, which is apparently why he was stealing parts from the factory. I attempted to subdue him in his weakened state and force him to submit to a scan. Unfortunately...he had a bit more fight left in him than I thought, and I made several attempts to get a complete scan. I know I captured *some* information, but in the end, he was strong enough to knock the device off his head and get away. I'm...kind of disappointed that I couldn't do better than this, not going to lie. But since there is the chance there's something we can use on the modded stasis-repair ring...I'm bringing it back to the Lab in Autobot City. Arcee out."